Gas distributor for burner outlets



Patented Ja'az, 1940 i GAs DISTRIBUTOR FOR RURNER OUTLETS Henry E. Stein, Sr., Columbus, Ohio, assignor to Quad Stove Manufacturing Company, Columbus, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application March 11, 193s, serial No. 195,342

s claims. (o1. 158-116) This invention relates broadly to improvements in gas burners, and, in itsmorespecic aspects, is particularly concerned with the provisions of animproved orificed gas distributor adapted for use inthe outlet or outlets ofsuch burnersjan object of the invention being to provide a gas distributing element which will permit of complete combustion of the gaseous .fuels discharged from the burner throughout the entire combustion range or flame height of the burner.'

In certain localities, it is anaccepted practice to utilize butane, propane or mixtures thereof, as domestic heating fuels for employment in gasburningrappliances. Considerable difficulty has been encountered in adapting gas burners of the type utilized in room heaters of the radiant or circulating types, water. heaters and other forms of gas burners to the use of these heavier hydrocarbon fuels, particularly in the matter of obtainheights of` the burner.

is known that the burners are vto bev employed in connection with fuels .of the character above noted.v Howeven changing the orifice area does burner turned down to produce a low re, the fuel will often burn with a yellow luminous-name, producing'smoke or carbon formation, or, again, the

same condition in other burners is present under medium or high-fire conditions.`

To correct this situation and to overcome the objections noted in the operation of burners using butane or propane, or mixtures thereof, as the gaseous fuel, the present invention provides `in the outlet of the burner a gas-distributing or' diffusing elementi formed to comprise an oriced body through which the fuelissues for combustion purposes, the upper or outer portion of said-body being formed with an axially disposedcylindrical extension of reduceddiameter as compared with the oriced body portion, so that gaseous.

45? fuel issuing from the'o'utlet of the burner through the orifice or orifices formed in. said body will be prevented from immediately merging by the presence of the cylindrical extension, to the end of permitting sufficient atmospheric air to combine with the gas to insure complete and clean combustion thereof at al1 flow rates and' without objectionable smoke or soot formation.

Further .objects and advantages will becom apparent as the Vdescription proceeds.

In the accompanying drawingz` ing uniform and emcient combustion atall flame y Manufacturers` of gas burners usually modify orifice diameters when it.

lmixture in the customary manner.

Figure 1 is a View in front elevation and partially in vertical section of gas lburner apparatus formed in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken through the apparatus on the plane indicated by the line II--II of Figure l;

PATENT orifice `Figure 3 is a top plan View disclosing the fuel distributing and diffusing elements forming the present invention in the outlets of a gasburner;`r

Figure 4 is a perspective View of one of: the fuel diffusing and distributing elements.

While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative constructions, I have shown'in the drawing and will herein describe in detail the preferred embodiment thereof, but it is to be understood that I do not thereby lintend to` limit the invention to the specific embodiment' disclosed, but desire to cover `all modifications and alternative constructions fallas expressed in the appended claims.

` In the' drawing, Iv haveillustrated a form of i gas .burner'quite generally used in the construc- Referring more particularlyv to the drawing, the

numeral l designates the gas-supply manifold of the burner,` the manifold being provided at spaced intervals withorice spuds 2 arranged to direct gas in a fine stream upwardly under customary pressures. Connected with the manifold I asfat 3is .a mixer-tube `casting 4,'which is provided with a plurality of `vertically extending passages 5 which are arranged in vertical registrationwith `the orifices of the spuds 2. The-lower ends of the passages terminate in outwardly flaring curved mouths `l, which are spaced from the spuds2 so that atmospheric air Amay be drawn into said passages by the inspirating action ofk the gas vstreams issuing under high velocity from the spuds 2.

Within the passages 5, the fuelgas andating 'withi'ni the spirit and scope of the invention mospheric air combine to produce a combustible.

In this instance, the upper end of each of the passages 5 is laterally branched as at 1 to produce dual outlets 8 in the top of the casting 4. By this branching of the upper end of each of the passages 5 to v cause horizontal travel of the. gas-air mixture,

further turbulence of the mixture is secured to produce more eicient carburetion, as will be unarrangement of the gas distributing and diffusing element II, disclosed particularly in Figure 4.

One of these elements is arranged in each of thev outlets 8 of the burner and comprises al cylindrical body formed preferably from hardened volcanic lava. Although I do not specifically linut myself to the use of the material specied, I have obtained the best results with its use since the lava is highly refractory and is not affected by the high temperatures incident to burner operation.

The cylindrical body I2 of each element is carefully cut to be fricticnally received and supported by the inner surfaces of the outlets 8, as shown in Figure 1, and the body is further provided with alternate deep and shallow slots I3 which extend vertically of the body from top to bottom thereof in radial order. The fuel mixture issues from the outlets 8 through the slots I3 so that combustion takes place around the upper surfaces of the elements il and within the connes of the radiants I D. Due to the alternate arrangement of the deep and shallow slots, the air is permitted to lter into the flame issuing from the burner outlet and prevent the name from coning over into a solid mass and burning without sufficient oxygen to produce smokeless combustion. 'Ihe slots I3 are but illustrative of but one form of orifice formation and it is obvious that other types of orifices may be used.

An important feature of the present invention resides in forming with the upper axial portion of the body I2 a short cylindrical vertical stud I4, l

the latter being integrally formed with the body I2, The diameter of the stud I4 is such that the same lies within the inner ends of the slots I3. I have found the elements II constructed as disclosed to be particularly useful in the burning of butane or of other hydrocarbon fuel mixtures wherein butane or propane is a predominating ingredient.

The stud I4 apparently keeps separated for a time the gases issuing from the upper ends of the slots I3, preventing such gas streams from immediately merging after issuing from the slots I3 and forming a center pocket of reduced pressure. With the inclusion of the stud I4 in each of the elements, it is believed 4that the gas streams are kept separated for a sufficient length of time to admit of the combining of secondary air therewith to provide for clean combustion so that a blue flame is produced at all rates of burner operation and the presence of a yellow luminous fiame avoided.

The particular construction with which thev present invention is concerned is the form and,

The inclusion of the stud or cylindrical extension I4 thus maintains uniform combustion of the fuel specied, or gaseous fuels containing lthe same at varying rates of delivery of such gaseous fuels to the burner, enabling the latter to operate under low, medium or high flame producing conditions with clean, eicient combustion and with substantially complete absence of smoke or soot formation.

What is claimed is:

l. As a new article of manufacture, a gas distributing and diffusing element for gas burner outlets comprising a cylindrical body formed peripherally with radially disposed relatively spaced alternate deep and shallow slots, the latter passing through said body from top to bottom thereof, and a cylindrical extension arising axially from the top of said body, said extension being disposed within the inner confines of said slots.

42. Ina gas burner, a mixing tube provided with a gas outlet, a gas distributing and diffusing element arranged in said outlet, said element comprising a cylindrical body provided with a plurality of spaced vertically extending slots for the passage of gas through saidoutlet, and a cylindrical stud formed with and projecting upwardly from said body at the center thereof, said stud being disposed within the fiame when the burner is in operation. y

3. A gas distributing and di'using element for gas burner outlet comprising a thick disk-like body having a plurality of circumferentially spaced vertically extending slots formed in the periphery thereof, and a stud of reduced diameter projecting from one face of said body, the longitudinal axis of said stud and body being in alignment.

4. In a gas burner of the type having a mixing tubeprovided with a gas outlet, a gas distributing and diffusing element arranged in said outlet,

said element comprising a thick disk-like body having al plurality of circumferentially spaced vertically extending passages formed in the periphery thereof; and a stud of reduced diameter projecting from the upper face of said body, said stud being disposed above the upper limits of said mixing tube. l

5. A gas distributing and diffusing elementv for gas burner outlets comprising a' cylindrical body reduced at one end to form a pair of adjoining concentric sections, the larger of said sections being formed beyond the confines of said smaller section with a plurality of circumferentially spaced passages, the longitudinal axes of which are parallel to that of said body.

6. A gas distributing and diffusing element for burner outlets consisting of an integral body having a pair of cylindrical portions of different diameters disposed end to end, the portion having the larger diameter being formed with a plurality of circumferentially spaced longitudinally extending ports beyond the confines of the othe section.

HENRY E. STEIN, SR. 

